I was asked when tying at an event a few years ago who my hero’s in tying were. I went Huh? IMO, hero’s are firefighters that go into a burning building to save a baby........policemen that lay their lives on the line for us.......and our military in Afghanistan and the Middle East laying it all out to protect our freedoms. They re hero’s......fly tiers might be innovato, but they sure as hell aren’t hero’s.

That being said I do have a few tiers that I follow on YouTube (Vimeo, etc). They’re the innovative guys that I try to imitate.

Rene Harrop leads my list. That Dude flat out ties incredible flies. His use of CDC inspired me to start using it.

Charlie Craven out of Colorado is another.......he’s just a creative genius.

The guys at Blue Ribbon Flies (Craig Matthews and John Juracek) inventing the Sparkle Dun deserve a helluva lot of credit.

Again, IMO, there are too many guys/gals in tying taking credit for “inventing” a new pattern that are doing nothing but changing the hook style of the color of the body......and claiming they invented a new pattern. Shesshhhh......

Btw......if you’re looking at a style of fly to try this Spring.......try a Harrop Short Wing emerger. A great style that can imitate any hatch emergence by changing the body and wing colors.

Dave M

_________________"Fish the West every year. Life is short; and you'll be dead a long time." Chris Hutchins--2009

I remember tying my first Mickey Finn with the pages to Helen Shaw's book open on my desk. It was pretty ugly, but it was a start. Over the years I'd have to say that A.K. Best tops the list in terms of technique and ultimately speed. His books on tying flies in his vest, production tying, and even dying materials are excellent. Rene Harrop, John Barr, David Hughes and George Daniels are all excellent for certain styles of patterns, and I've noticed over the years that the flies in my boxes change significantly based on whose book I've most recently read. One always reads that you can get away with one box with a few sizes of a dozen patterns, but why carry one when I have a vest that can easily fit seven?

_________________"Fishermen...spending their lives in the fields and woods...are often in a more favorable mood for observing her, in the intervals of their pursuits, than philosophers or poets even, who approach her with expectation." - Thoreau

_________________"Fishermen...spending their lives in the fields and woods...are often in a more favorable mood for observing her, in the intervals of their pursuits, than philosophers or poets even, who approach her with expectation." - Thoreau

Davie Mcphail is awesome. I’ve been tying for 40 years, but my technique has improved so much from watching him. My flies are better and my tying sessions are more efficient. I watch him tie flies that I have no intention of tying just to learn technique

Farrow Allen, when I first started tying living in VT. He offered me a lot of tips on simple patterns made with inexpensive materials to get a start. Dave Whitlock had great tips in the written world of days past. These days Craig Mathews and the BRF bunch, Charlie Craven, Davey McPhail and a host of others in the fly tying videos on-line.The wealth of great tyers and tying videos today speeds up the learning process exponentially even for those with ten thumbs.

Ron

_________________The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of something that is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.

I am inclined to agree with 1weight about the online universe. I took my first and only Fly tying course with Dick Talluer, in Manchester just when Stoneriver opened. He was a staple at Hunters. The course was awesome, but at the time the WWW and video was young, we were warned against all of the bad habits that we would learn there. Now, armed with the basics, it is the single best resource I can think of.

_________________"Fishermen...spending their lives in the fields and woods...are often in a more favorable mood for observing her, in the intervals of their pursuits, than philosophers or poets even, who approach her with expectation." - Thoreau

Thanks Ken! There are so many techniques and so much new material these days it is hard to keep up. I love tying, but the bottom line to me, does the fly catch fish? Every year upon returning from Alaska, the patterns get revised based on how they fished. They never remain the same!

I’m also of the opinion that there is nothing really new in tying. I know I grab bits and pieces here and there, and try to incorporate them into what I’m aiming for. Oh, and it should be fun!

If you tie, be on the lookout for a new book, ‘America’s Favorite Flies’. Should be published very soon.

This is a walk-away, bat flip....Mike Holt. I had no intention of ever tying- I wanted my wife to pick up her Mom's vise and tie at my request...Mike taught me a few basics, and then played me like a fish forthe next 7 thousand dollars worth of "needed" gear- and every time I was about to try a new fly, he would show me-sometimes 5 times- how to make the steps come out right.

Now, I watch BRF on the 'Tube...and have watched A.K. Best tie (though I just can't be that methodical)... but I like the small lessons...the little things the tyer does that he doesn't even think to mention- that is what I pick up on-line.

picked up a few things along the way from some locals, but spent a lot of time reading and Tying the Randall Kaufmann patterns. After that I liked quite a few Bob Clouser and Gary LaFontaine patterns that I could pick up. Now everythings on youtube so I try to copy as much as I can from anybody who has a cool pattern and a good video. That being said Mike Holt's shop supplied a ton of my materials for years and my renzetti vice was bought by my wife from Mikes shop as well.\

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